[7.8/10] This episode has a lot going for it. It’s another Batman/Superman crossover, which always portends great things in the DCAU. It invokes Ra’s al Ghul, who is a baddie with enough power and intrigue to muster the World’s Finest joining forces to face him. And the prospect of Ra’s losing his strength and immortality is an intriguing one. But like a lot of Ra’s episodes, this one eventually devolves into unexplained nonsense. How is Ra’s able to channel Superman’s strength? Why does the “shaman’s staff” have such a debilitating effect on the Man of Steel? Why doesn't Supes break out of his chains until the dramatically appropriate moment? Why does crushing the rock at the center of that staff resolve things and seemingly make the ancient civilization’s settlements crumble? Who knows! It’s just crazy action stuff that happens! Still, the dynamic between The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel continues to pay dividends. Superman running into the Society of Shadows, only for The Bat to pop up and reveal that he’s been tracking them for weeks is a cool surprise. Superman responding that he’d appreciate a heads up when Batman’s dropping by Metropolis (but just because he wants to help) is a cool beat for their budding partnership. And I particularly like the (asymmetric) back and forth between Bruce and Lois over their brief but potent history together. Hell, there's even some cool ploys from Talia here, who’s never been my favorite character, but who has a good setup in this one. Her pretending to be Lois (right down to stealing her clothes) to get Superman’s attention is a pretty clever ruse. However they know that the magic staff works, their efforts to steal it, and distract Superman by cutting the transport’s brakes, makes for a good heist. And there’s urgency to the mission that comes from seeing a decrepit, no longer commanding version of Ra’s al Ghul. Still, once they get to “Mesa de Oro” things take a turn for the worse. Granted, Batman’s intimidation and interrogation routine is still pretty cool, especially when he emerges from the flames to get one Ra’s goons to talk. But the magic-powered skirmish between Supes and Batman on the one hand, and a roided out Ra’s on the other, didn’t do much for me. There’s no real motivation or explanation for any of it. I’m not saying that I need a left brained technical manual for how all of these mystical artifacts work, but without any rules for the game, the victory feels arbitrary. Still, seeing the Caped Crusader and the Man of Tomorrow team-up is still a treat every time, and however meager the pay-off, there’s some extra coolness that comes from the two of them squaring off against The Demon. Overall, a nice preview of things to come.